Ohio State
Michigan (Senior Day)
Buckeyes Sweep No. 19 Michigan on Senior Day – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 15, 2016
ICYMI: @OhioState_BASE gets the weekend sweep of Michigan with an 8-2 victory on Sunday. https://t.co/EB03coB8ud
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) May 15, 2016
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – How sweep it is! The Ohio State baseball team defeated archrival and No. 19 Michigan, 8-2, to claim a series sweep Sunday afternoon on Senior Day at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. With their fourth straight Top 20 win, the Buckeyes improve to 35-16-1 overall and 13-8 in Big Ten play, while the Wolverines drop to 34-16 overall and 12-8 in conference action.
“Winning helps the confidence but the confidence is in everybody, not just in themselves but in their teammates as well,” head coach Greg Beals said. “There’s a trust factor. Trust is something that’s in our cultural blueprint and that is as much of a confidence builder as anything. We’re not done yet, but I’m happy that when the chips are down we played as good as we did this weekend.”
With the game knotted at 1-all through four innings, Ohio State lit up the scoreboard with four runs in the fifth, a run in the sixth and two more in the eighth to earn their sixth-consecutive win over the Wolverines in Columbus. Junior co-captain Jalen Washington hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the fifth for a 1-for-4 day with two RBI and run scored, while senior co-captain Nick Sergakis was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk and junior Ronnie Dawson went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Senior Ryan Leffel had a big day as well, going 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored.
On the mound, redshirt sophomore right-hander Adam Niemeyer improved to 4-2 to guide an OSU pitching staff that once again dominated the UM bats for the third straight game. Overall, the pitching staff struck out 29 Wolverine hitters to five walks in the series.
The Scarlet and Gray are now tied for third in the conference standings with Nebraska (13-8) behind Indiana (15-6) and Minnesota (15-5) with one week to go. The team has won eight of its last nine league games. After a final home contest vs. Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, Ohio State travels to play the first-place Gophers May 19-21 in the final Big Ten series of the regular season.
SPECIAL SENIOR DAY
You couldn’t ask for a better Senior Day for one of the largest senior classes in recent history -nine members – and that’s what Beals emphasized and applauded during postgame interviews.
“You see the number of people that are on the field for Senior Day, not just the nine seniors, but their parents, their grandparents and their families,” Beals said. One thing that is gratifying to me is the idea of family, it’s something we believe in. That feeling of family is felt throughout this organization and all their families are here to spend this Senior Day with them.”
Recognized before first pitch included: student manager Ryan Densel, outfielder Jake Brobst, second baseman L Grant Davis, left-handed pitcher John Havird, left-handed Michael Horejsei, infielder Troy Kuhn, outfielder/left-handed pitcher Daulton Mosbarger, infielder Ryan Leffel, shortstop Craig Nennig and infielder Nick Sergakis.
HOW IT HAPPPENED
Both teams scored one run on two hits in the opening inning. Drew Lugbauer singled to right field to score Ako Thomas for the first run of the game. Niemeyer left a runner on base when he blew a fastball by Jonathan Engelmann. The Buckeyes answered with a run in their first at-bat when Nennig connected on a 2-2 pitch to push Sergakis around the dish. The senior co-captain pulled a pitch down the left field line for his team-best 18th double of the year and advanced on a passed ball before scoring on the timely hit by his classmate.
The next three frames went scoreless as both Hill and Niemeyer settled in on the bump. Niemeyer sent down seven in a row, while Hill put down 12 OSU hitters in a row until the bottom of the fifth when the wheels fell off for the Wolverines. After a lead-off walk to Jacob Bosiokovic, Washington homered over the wall in right on the first pitch he saw vs. Hill to jump the Buckeyes ahead, 3-1. Dawson then lined a double to the gap in right center to push both Leffel and Sergakis home for the 5-1 score. In the sixth, Leffel singled up the middle for his second base hit of the afternoon to push the lead to five runs. Michigan trimmed the lead to four runs in the top of the seventh off a solo shot to right center.
In the eighth, the Buckeyes added two more runs to extend the lead as the Wolverines struggled to find their rhythm defensively. Bosiokovic laid down a sacrifice bunt to put Kuhn on third base, who earned an 11-pitch walk earlier in the inning, and Troy Montgomery on second. Kuhn scored off a passed ball, while Washington reached base on a Michigan throwing error to score Montgomery and give the Buckeyes an 8-2 lead.
ON THE MOUND
Back on the mound, Niemeyer settled down after allowing a run in the first and sent down the next seven batters, scattering four hits on one run with a walk and seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work for his fourth win of the year. Freshman right-hander Ryan Feltner relieved Niemeyer with one down in the fifth and came through in a big way, leaving two on base with a strikeout. He tossed two innings on one run, one hit with one strikeout. Horejsei threw 0.2 innings and had one strikeout before sophomore Seth Kinker tossed a scoreless ninth with one walk, getting a UM hitter to roll over a groundball for the game-ending double play.
UP NEXT
The Buckeyes will close out their nonconference slate at home vs. Eastern Michigan 6:35 p.m. Tuesday at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. Fans can follow along the action on BTN Plus ($).
WORTHY NOTES
• The Scarlet and Gray have now risen to a tie for third place in the Big Ten standings with a 13-8 mark, winning eight of their last nine Big Ten games.
• Ohio State improves to 101-163-1 all-time vs. the Wolverines. The Buckeyes have won eight of the last 10 meetings, including six straight in Columbus. Ohio State has notched two-consecutive series sweeps vs. the Wolverines at Bill Davis Stadium.
• Under head coach Greg Beals, the Buckeyes are 8-2 against Michigan with a 6-0 mark in Columbus.
• The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten with 22 home victories, which is now tied fifth with the 2003 team in school history.
• The senior class has won 135 career games, including 75 victories at Bill Davis Stadium.
• Ohio State leads the Big Ten with 50 home runs and 113 doubles.
• The Buckeyes are second in the conference with 78 stolen bases.
• Sergakis batted .364 in the series (4-for-11) with two runs scored, one double, three RBI, two walks and a stolen bases, while Washington homered twice vs. the Wolverines to up his total to three dingers on the year.
• Sergakis doubled for the 18th time, while Dawson followed with his 17th double of 2016. Dawson leads all active Buckeyes with 98 career RBI.
• Washington notched his seventh multi-RBI game.
• Montgomery scored at least two runs in a contest for the 12th time this year. He leads the team with 42 walks.
• Leffel posted his first multi-hit game of the year and is sixth double of the season.
• Hit streaks extended: Craig Nennig (5) and Sergakis (4).
• Reached base streaks extended: Bosiokovic (9), Dawson (8), Sergakis (5), Washington (5), Nennig (5) and Kuhn (4).
• Niemeyer has struck out a season-high 62 batters to 10 walks this season.
• Appearances: Kinker (28), Horejsei (27) and Feltner (15).
• Kinker’s scoreless streak extended to 17.2 innings.
